The future of 22 year old striker Emmanuel Ekong isn’t certain at Italian Serie A side Empoli as he is keen on a permanent move back to Sweden where he started his career, OwnGoalNigeria.com understands.

Ekong was on loan to Croatian side NK Istra and he helped himself to three goals and three assists. It was his second loan spell after his time with Serie B side Perugia. He is now pushing for a permanent move away from the Italian side.

According to Sportbladet’s information, the son of former Nigeria international Ikpe Ekong has informed the club that he wants to opt for a new challenge. He is also angling for a move to the Sweden Allsvenskan as talks are ongoing with a couple of unnamed clubs, Sportbladet learns.

The 21-year-old’s contract with Empoli runs until the summer of 2027 and he also has two U20 caps for Sweden on his record but he is still eligible for the senior national team of Nigeria.

Daniel Martins

The surprise package in the German Bundesliga VFB Stuttgart have started plans ahead of their campaign in the Uefa Champions League (UCL) after an astonishing last season, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Stuttgart surpassed all expectations by finishing second behind champions Bayer Leverkusen, hence earning a spot in next season’s Europe elite club tournament from the group stage.

Defence is one area they are keen on adding reinforcement and one cap Nigeria international defender Jordan Torunarigha is their prime target with one year left on his deal at Belgium side Gent.

Linked with a move to English Championship side Leeds United, it is Stuttgart who are now leading the chase for his signing using the fact that they are in the Champions League to lure the 26 year old, who represented Germany at youth level before switching to Nigeria at senior level and he presently has one cap.

A return to Germany where he started his professional carrer is said to have also played a huge role in his decision to join Stuttgart as well as the fact that playing in the Champions League will brighten his chances of earning further caps for the senior national team of Nigeria.

A fee in the region of €2-3m is said to be what Gent are demanding and all parties involved are keen on making the switch happen faster for him to join up with his new side for the start of pre season training.

Daniel Martins

Newly appointed coach of Turkish side Fenerbahce Jose Mourinho has started the process of strengthening the team ahead of next season as he steps up pre season training, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

The coach has outlined adding more options to the attack of the team as a priority and he has in his sight 30 year old Nigerian forward Paul Onuachu who spent last season on loan to fellow Turkish side Trabzonspor from newly promoted English side Southampton.

Onuachu took the league by storm with 15 goals and four assists in just 21 games. Trabzonspor negotiated his permanent signing but it appears Fenerbahce are now leading the race for his signature and talks have advanced on the recommendation of Mourinho.

Southampton wants €15m for the lanky forward who has also demanded a €2m yearly salary. All parties involved are keen on making the deal happen, with Onuachu eager to find a permanent place where he will get regular run of games after the disappointment at Southampton.

Daniel Martins

The president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Ibrahim Musa Gusau was blown away by a presentation from the favourite to be named as the new coach of the senior national team of Nigeria, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Gusau is presently in London where he will meet with the designated coach for the senior national team of Nigeria, who are without a coach since the exit of Finidi George as coach.

In a communique made public after the world cup qualifiers games the NFF made it clear that they will be going for an expatriate coach to help steady the team’s campaign, after the 1-1 draw against South Africa and 1-2 loss to Benin Republic saw them drop to 5th in the six team group.

We exclusively gathered that Gusau will meet with the coach today in company of the minister for sports senator John Enoh for discussion and terms of his engagement. It was said that he blew the president away with his presentation.

Sources say he outlined his plans to fix up the defence of the team and in particular mentioned Leon Balogun, who recently signed a one year deal at Rangers as one of the players he will build his defence around because he fits the way he wants the team to play from the back.

He also told them that he noticed that the team struggle in the absence of top striker Victor Osimhen and he has a striker in sight as his plan B. The player in question we were made to believe has represented an European nation at youth and once at senior level hence still eligible for the Super Eagles.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The battle for who will be the next Africa Player of the year has been narrowed to two players by Nigeria international midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Victor Osimhen is currently the holder of the award , but he didn’t have the kind of season that helped him clinch the award, no thanks to injuries and fitness issues and a below par performance at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Looking at the likeliest to replace the 25 year old , Ndidi picked Ademola Lookman who was the star of the Nigerian team with three goals at the AFCON as the favorite for the award , which will hold in December.

Aside the AFCON, Lookman was also the star of the Europa League with his hattrick in the final game handing Atalanta a 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen. Ndidi said he stands a better chance to represent Osimhen on the strength of what he did last season.

“In all honesty, I think Ademola (Lookman) stands a better chance to winning it. Though both he and Osimhen have done well for their clubs, but Ademola stands a better chance,” Ndidi was quoted as saying by the online edition of This Day newspaper.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The search for a new coach for the senior national team of Nigeria will be concluded in the coming days with the candidates shortlisted for the job set to meet with the president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the minister for sports in London, OwnGoalNigeria.comreports.

Both parties are already in London and will meet with around four coaches who have been shortlisted for the job made vacant by the departure of Finidi George, after a disappointing performance in the 2026 world cup qualifiers last round of games.

Nigeria were held to a 1-1 draw by South Africa before losing 1-2 to Benin Republic, a result that saw them drop to 5th in the 6th team group, four points behind the leaders Rwanda. In September they will regroup for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers.

Yesterday they were drawn in the same group with Rwanda, Benin Republic and Libya in the qualifiers for the AFCON. A tournament which they went all the way to the final in February before losing to the host Cote d’Ivoire 1-2.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The future of Victor Osimhen at Italian Serie A side Napoli is likely to come to an end soon with Italian agent Claudio Anellucci confirming that talks have advanced with his entourage over a move to PSG.

Osimhen is free to leave Napoli this season but clubs are struggling to meet his release clause of over €100m. Reports has it that the former Italian champions are willing to lower the price to smoothen the exit of the 25 year old.

New coach of the team Antonio Conte is open to his departure and made it clear that all has been agreed with the camp of the player before he was appointed as coach less than a month ago, however he still expects Osimhen to resume for pre season training with the rest of his teammates this week.

Despite that Claudio Anellucci insist he will leave Napoli before the end of the month saying it is a matter of when not if anymore. A move to PSG according to the agent is high on the cards.

“I knew something. I don’t know if he was physically in Paris, but I knew about the movements of his entourage. Knowing how Paris moves, if the player was called to the city, it means they want to close the situation quickly”, he told 1 Station Radio as relayed by Napoli Magazine

” On the 11th (July), Napoli goes into retreat and, consequently, the coach will want to have a minimum of linearity, a base from which to start again. Having Osimhen there for only a few days would not be profitable for anyone.

*The Nigerian’s call to the camp is mandatory, but it is also ritual. Both the club and the player’s entourage are working to avoid the inconveniences related to the presence of the attacker in pre-season”.

Daniel Martins

A top official of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has accused the former coach of the team Finidi George of breaching his contract following his appointment as the new coach of Nigeria Professional Football League side Rivers United, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Finidi left his role as the coach of the senior national team of Nigeria after a disappointing performance in the 2026 world cup qualifiers, where they were held to a 1-1 draw by South Africa before losing 1-2 to Benin Republic. The result saw them drop to 5th in the 6 team group.

In a communique the NFF made it known that they will be securing an expatriate coach to handle the team for the remaining games of the qualifiers, but made no mention of the future of Finidi and two days later the coach announced that he has put in his resignation letter.

Reacting the NFF president Ibrahim Musa Gusau claimed that he isn’t aware of any letter of resignation from the former talisman of the team. Another board member has echoed the same sentiment on the reported resignation of the coach.

” He (Finidi) breached his contract by picking up the Rivers United job. The NFF that I belong to is yet to officially accept his resignation. You can ask him if we have replied him. So that means he is still our employee meaning he can’t go elsewhere until we severe terms with him officially”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

” It’s a simple practice that when you resign, your employers must respond to your resignation before you pick up another job. So you be the judge if what he did is professional or not”.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Top Italian journalists Gianluca Di Marzio and Fabrizio Romano are reporting that Leicester City are close to securing the services of the 22-year-old defender Caleb Okoli from Atalanta.

Di Marzio said on X, formerly Twitter, that Atalanta will get €15m, including add-ons, from Leicester City for the defender who just returned from a season long loan deal at fellow Serie A side Frosinone.

Okoli is an U21 Italy international with 14 appearances for the Azzurrini but he is also eligible for Nigeria and former coach Jose Peseiro revealed asking Nigeria international striker Ademola Lookman to persuade the defender to switch allegiance to Nigeria.

Yes, we will try. After this friendly match against Portugal, there will be time to talk to him and to understand his decision, ” Peseiro told Tuttomercatoweb in 2022.

“Whether he wants to play with us or not. I will talk to him through Lookman: I will present my model to him. , what do I think of him, the project we can have together with Nigeria “.

A product of Atalanta and Vincenza Academies, Okoli spent the last season on loan at Frosinone, collecting 37 appearances across all competitions.

Daniel Martins

The senior national team of Nigeria have handed a tough draw in the race to be at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, OwnGoalNigeria.comreports.

Nigeria will be facing world cup group rivals Benin Republic who defeated them 2-1 less than a month ago, and Rwanda in their qualifiers group that also has Libya. Already the team is facing a difficult task of making it to the 2026 world cup as they are currently 5th, four points behind leaders Rwanda.

The draw means Nigeria will face Rwanda four times in two years with all games in the qualifiers expected to be played in three months time using the international break for September, October and November.

At the last AFCON, the Super Eagles who are currently without a coach went all the way to the final before losing 1-2 to the host Cote d’Ivoire. It was their best performance at the tournament since winning the 2013 edition.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman